Tony Tough Review

Remember the days when adventure games featured corny voices, cheesy graphics and a horridly ridiculous plot line? Well if you remember those days fondly, rejoice, because Prograph Research has revived the 2D point and click adventure in Tony Tough: The Night of Roasted Moths. Fans of Day of the Tentacle have a new title to keep them busy and anyone who missed playing the adventure classics now have one that will teach them about the early days of PC adventure games.

You will take on the role of Tony Tough, Private Detective. Tony is a short, unattractive, socially inept failure that wears oversized glasses and a yellow raincoat (Dan, only smaller). He has been working on the same case for the last 10 years. Someone has been stealing candy from trick-or-treaters on Halloween. Tony believes it is a big-headed alien who is plotting to take over the Earth. He theorizes the aliens need the candy to fuel their spaceships. Of course, from the beginning, you will know the culprit Tony is seeking is simply a deranged person from Tony's past.

As you enter the game, it is Halloween and Tony Tough is preparing in his basement office for the big night, determined to catch the thief. His "dog" Pantagruel (it's actually a big purple Tapir but don't tell Tony that) heads up to the top floors to search for a wig while Tony decides to search the bowels of the building. Suddenly, you hear Tony's best friend cry out. You head upstairs to investigate and discover a note from Jack O'L. He has kidnapped the beloved Pantagruel and Tony's presence is requested at Halloween Park that night. So off to Halloween Park you trot, to help Tony find his beloved pet.

There are two difficulty options, Easy and Hard. The Easy level simply leaves out some of the more difficult puzzles. None of the puzzles on either level are terribly challenging, though. Most simply involve combining objects in your inventory or using an item with something in the environment. For example, at the very beginning you will need to make yourself a costume. This puzzle requires several steps and ends with Tony dressed as an illiterate shepherd girl. The most complicated puzzle is a head-to-head contest with a character in the game, but even that is simple if you just think about it.

Along the way, you will meet a variety of bizarre characters that you will have to get around or help in order to progress. Among them are a very odd one-legged pirate who claims to have cut off his own leg and a poetic, intelligent, well-spoken, very furry Beast that has been locked in a cage his whole life. By delving into the lives of these characters, you will find clues that lead you to Pantragruel. All over the park are flyers about a missing cat. Finding and returning that missing cat to the gentle old woman will result in items that will help you to continue on your journey.

The interface is simple. Clicking anywhere in the environment will move Tony there. To move to another screen, move the mouse to the edges of the screen until it turns into a duck and click. Objects that can be examined, picked up or used are clearly marked. Right clicking on something or someone will bring up a menu of choices. Speaking to the different characters in the game presents you will a choice of dialogues, but I didn't find that any of them put you in a bad position. Moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen opens up the inventory, which allows you to manipulate the objects. The best feature is the map, which Tony sketches in his notebook as you visit the various locations. It allows you to teleport from one place in the park to another. There are no surprises in the interface; it is as simple as it should be.

The graphics are 2D, a little dated in this day and age, but this game isn't meant to be played any other way. They are cartoon-like and bright. There is little animation to speak of. The cut-scenes mostly involve still images. There is nothing spectacular about the graphics and most players used to the more current 3D adventures will be highly disappointed, but the graphics are as they are meant to be. This is not a game that is supposed to compete with Syberia or Beyond Atlantis II. It is supposed to bring you back to the old days when 2D point and click adventures were the rage.

The sound is well done, for the most part. Tony spouts off his cheesy lines in a nasal, somewhat annoying voice. There are a lot of chintzy accents and sound effects. The music might need to be turned down, as it can be overbearing. Overall, the sounds are probably the best thing about this game, as far as the mainstream audience will be concerned.

The Verdict

This game is not for everyone. Most adventure gamers will find it lacking any complexity and its silly storyline will turn a lot of people off. It is adult-oriented and I definitely wouldn't advise parents to buy this game for their children. This is a throwback to a happier time in adventure gaming when titles with far out plots and tacky jokes were the cream of the crop. Anyone who wants to play games like they made ten years ago should check out this title. Everyone else should give this one a pass.